Nollywood actress Toyin Abraham said on Friday, September 18, 2026, that she turned down a position on the Lagos State All Progressives Congress campaign council for reasons of principle, not because of criticism from social media users.
Toyin Abraham’s name appeared on Thursday, September 17, in the list of the party’s campaign council, released by the Kadri Obafemi Hamzat Media Center ahead of the 2027 elections. She was listed as a member of the Entertainment and Creative Economy Directorate, a group that also includes actors Jide Kosoko, Eniola Badmus and Bimbo Akintola, as well as Fuji musicians Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, Abass Akande Obesere and Adewale Ayuba. The directorate lists 33 members in total and is headed by Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka, with Kosoko serving as co-director and Badmus as deputy director.
Abraham first addressed the listing on her Instagram Story on Thursday, stating that she was not a member of any campaign council and asking the public to disregard her reported inclusion.
On Friday, she responded on X to a supporter who suggested her withdrawal was a rebuke to online bullies. She rejected that interpretation directly.
“I didn’t do it because of any bully. I did it because it was the right thing to do,” Abraham wrote. She added that she had woken up to find her name on a list she knew nothing about, and repeated that she has no interest in politics.
The Lagos APC campaign council was formally unveiled on Thursday and includes Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, along with former governors Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode. Its inauguration was scheduled for Friday, September 18, at the APC Secretariat on Acme Road, Ikeja. Despite Abraham’s public rejection, her name reportedly remained on the published council document.
This is not the first time Abraham has been involved in political controversy. She campaigned publicly for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2023 presidential election. At the time, she said some supporters of a rival candidate had petitioned Netflix to remove her films and pressured brands associated with her, including Checkers Custard, to drop their ties to her.
The backlash resurfaced in 2024 after Abraham filed a cyberbullying petition against a social media user who made allegations involving her husband, actor Kolawole Ajeyemi. The user’s arrest triggered a fresh wave of criticism, during which Abraham made an emotional appearance on Instagram Live describing the toll of the sustained attacks on her and her family.
